There are many ways to use the bye week, some more productive than others.

You can head home to California for a little yoga like linebackers Spencer Paysinger and Keith Rivers. You can dress like a Nike cow and spend time with the family trick-or-treating. You can stop by your suburban Philadelphia home like rookie offensive lineman Justin Pugh before returning to your alma mater Syracuse for the weekend. Terrell Thomas went back to California and did the media tour off his "welcome back" game.

So many options, so many different avenues traveled.

Another option (albeit unlikely) would be to take the off week provided by Giants coach Tom Coughlin and get to work. Refine your game. Brush up on correctable inadequacies or mistakes.

As fans, you can always dream. You want players working to get better 24-7, 365.

If that were the case, here's what these five players would be working to improve during the bye week to help the Giants in the second half of the season:

Jason Pierre-Paul: Takeoff and Technique
It's been a rough first half of the season for JPP. Even off back surgery that forced him to miss all of training camp, nobody expected eight games with one sack. A sack number that miniscule seemed laughable prior to the season. It's apparent now that the problem is beyond health. Defensive line coach Robert Nunn recently explained how Pierre-Paul's technique is a problem. It has affected his takeoff at the line of scrimmage. Well, JPP needs to get that fixed ASAP. If the Giants defense is going to have any long-term success, it's with him as a dominant pass rusher.

Antrel Rolle: Playing in the Slot
Rolle's done it before. He played in the slot earlier this year against the Eagles and in past seasons. Something tells me we're going to see it again at some point this season (despite Terrell Thomas' resurgence as a slot corner) with the Giants now well stocked at safety. Defensive coordinator Perry Fewell has experienced success in the past using three safeties. He's bound to go that route again with Rolle, the ascending Will Hill and Ryan Mundy available. And don't be surprised to see the veteran Rolle working the slot against bigger, more physical receivers or tight ends. It would be smart to brush up on his slot skills during the week off.

Rueben Randle: Catching Punts
It's been an adventure with Randle catching punts this season. He's been all over the map trying to catch the ball, and has two fumbles as a result. That needs to improve. It all begins with judging the kicks better. If Randle puts himself in better position to receive the punts, the mistakes will likely disappear. He also would be in better position for a positive return. Randle's career-long is 18 yards on his 32 returns.

Eli Manning: Patience
The Giants quarterback likes to throw the ball downfield. In fact, it's what he does best. But behind this year's line, Manning needs to be extra-patient. He doesn't have the time to sit in the pocket and let plays develop 20-plus yards downfield. Eli needs to take what the defense gives, and throw more short, quick passes than ever — pretty much like what he did last week against the Eagles by throwing six passes to his running backs and 12 to Hakeem Nicks on mostly quick-hit routes. All it will take for Eli is a little patience. He can't continue at this pace and finish with 30 interceptions. That's an indefensible number. Maybe some of the linebackers' yoga during the bye week would help.

Jim Cordle: Line Calls
The Giants' offensive line is down two of its best players (guard Chris Snee and center David Baas). They have a rookie right tackle in Justin Pugh. There is little room for error for the offensive line the Giants will be playing the remainder of the season. In order to maximize their effectiveness, the line needs to be as cohesive as possible. Cordle, Baas' replacement, can make it happen with his line calls. His improvement would be a huge boost for the offense.